Global Water Initiative (GWI)

Is there such a thing as a good dam-building project? Jérôme Koundouno shares his view on why he thinks a ground-breaking new policy directive could achieve its goal – where large dams power national development while respecting the environment and bringing benefits to all

The Global Water Initiative (GWI) West Africa has released a new animation explaining how agreements between government and affected communities can be put in place to ensure large dams bring benefits to all

The Global Water Initiative (GWI) West Africa has released a new animation explaining how policymakers can work with local communities to protect the rights of people affected by large dams in West Africa

The recent Stockholm World Water Week provided plenty of opportunities to explore the links between water and land rights, and the importance of these rights for ensuring sustainable development at both local and national level

The annual World Water Week in Stockholm focuses on a wide range of issues relating to water across the globe. This year's theme was 'Water for development'. GWI West Africa held a side event at World Water Week 2015, titled 'Towards socially just and economically viable dams in West Africa'. The event was designed to share some of the lessons learnt from our work in West Africa and exchange experiences with others from across the globe

The Global Water Initiative (GWI) in West Africa is holding a side event at this year's World Water Week in Stockholm, looking at ways to make large multi-purpose dams more 'socially just and economically viable'

Photos taken for the Global Water Initiative in West Africa in villages around the Sélingué dam in Mali show that when it comes to the irrigation schemes surrounding large dams, there is no 'standard' example of a family farmer

IIED and IUCN, as part of the Global Water Initiative in West Africa, will be at this year's World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden from 23-28 August, 2015, and will be holding a side event on 'Towards socially just and economically viable dams in West Africa'

The economics and distribution of development benefits of large dams continue to be a source of controversy. Every dam is different, and efforts to generalise from a few (often well known, but sometimes exceptional) examples continue to cause challenges in reaching common ground on the past development contribution of the 50,000 dams worldwide today and the need for more

Agriculture in large-scale rice irrigation schemes needs to be made to work for both the state, in terms of economic returns and national food security, and for the smallholders whose livelihoods depend on it. When it comes to the development of new dams and large-scale irrigation, more information is needed about their economic viability and how the water, land, and economic benefits can be shared equitably to support local development

On 7-8 May, in the town of Konni, Niger's Minister of Agriculture will chair a national forum on legal protection of land tenure in irrigated areas. The forum will be attended by representatives from government, regional and local authorities, local groups, the private sector and civil society

We can only survive without drinking water for a few days – it’s crucial for our survival. Water is also crucial for supporting people’s ways of life, from raising livestock, to managing fisheries and irrigating crops. In many parts of semi-arid West Africa water is in short supply and the pressures on existing water resources are set to increase. IIED aims to help bring about fairer and more sustainable water governance that ensures poor and vulnerable communities don’t miss out

A new dam in Niger could generate electricity, create thousands of hectares of irrigated land and guarantee water for domestic use and fisheries. But making sure the dam benefits everyone is a complicated business.